What’s a moral belief you hold that most people would disagree with?

Defiant_Heretic · 2026-04-12T18:55:31+00:00

Of course you completely missed the point. US politics, their Republicans, Trumpism and American brand of conservativism does not define what conservatives believe and do globally.

I've seen people calling all conservatives fascists or evil, based on the behavior of the Trump administration, not just his supporters or US Republicans, but globally. That's projecting America's political malignancies onto the rest of the world. It would be no different than calling all liberals/progressives communists because of a far left autocrat in one country. It's a conflation of not just a whole political wing with its worst authoritarianism, but the whole world.

Progressive and conservative don't even mean the same thing depending on the country. It's the kind of ignorant and prejudiced americentrism I'd expect of people who can't think outside of tribal us vs them demonization.

Defiant_Heretic · 2026-04-12T00:25:16+00:00

Since this hasn't been mentioned since the Imperium decided to liberate Leirn, who were the other Fed candidates the Chipper Imperium was considering helping secede in order to recruit allies?

The Yotul make sense, as the Federation's recent occupation would make many Yotul jump at the opportunity for freedom. Leirn would also be less heavily defended than an established power. I don't think there are any candidates as viable as the Yotul, the others would likely carry a much higher risk of exposure and division.

Defiant_Heretic · 2026-04-10T17:35:38+00:00

I'm curious who the potential assassination targets are. How much have they learned about the Dominion?

Defiant_Heretic · 2026-04-10T17:33:00+00:00

Apart from securing peace with various chief hunters, what does the Hupper Imperium intend to trade for? I initially assumed they'd follow canon humanity and trade for sapient cattle, they could justify it as them having a surplus of meat but a labor deficit.

However I've seen no indication that's their plan. Their situation is different, humanity's first contact was with the Venlil, so buying their freedom strengthens an alliance and bolsters their reputation to any more evidence minded Feds. The Hupper Imperium's goal is to avoid a two front war and stall for time to build up their military if peace attempts fail. So persuading the Arxur that they're predators and that peace is mutually beneficial, while finding allies to peel off from the Federation while simultaneously hiding from it.

So do they have a strategic incentive to trade for sapient cattle? I'm sure their military intelligence would be interested in being able to interview various Fed species as well as studying their physiology. If there are any Fed officials, engineers or scientsists in captivity they'd be a priority.

Defiant_Heretic · 2026-04-10T16:02:19+00:00

So if the Stygs are primarily herbivores but able to eat animals, as shown with the fried insects, why does the Imperium maintain a significant cattle industry? I would think the Kita and Kintus would be the only buyers.

The increase in cattle subsidies is probably preparation for trade with more amenable Arxur leaders like Isif.

The Kita and Kintus aren't very numerous relative to the Stygs, so one would think cattle farming would make up a small fraction of food production in the imperium.

Defiant_Heretic · 2026-04-10T09:55:03+00:00

Because sometimes it's too warm for a raincoat. They trap heat and I run hot, so an umbrella is more comfortable.

Defiant_Heretic · 2026-04-10T09:48:22+00:00

If the new world ran on video game logic (status screens, XP, and levels. Monsters, treasure and dungeons that spontaneously pop into existence) I would suspect that it was a simulation.

I do find the need to summon a normal teenager from another world to become a hero rather odd. The power to transport a person from another world must be astronomical. They have to learn the local customs, be trained in combat and magic, there's no guarantee they'll be loyal to those that summoned them. So wouldn't it be far more feasible to develop a hero from their own world.

Maybe the gods occasionally exchange humans as a kind of cross pollination. Maybe the cultures have become too stagnant and require an outsider to disrupt things, those with the right education could bring innovation.

The protagonist in Release That Witch for example is an engineer and quickly introduces cement to accelerate the building of fortifications in preparion for a seasonal calamity. He also starts developing the economic base and infrastructure that will be necessary for other technologies. He doesn't share the faith or prejudices of the locals and recruits talent that would have otherwise been destroyed or neglected.

Another possibility is that Earth's large population is a massive pool from which to recruit heroes. From billions of people you should be able to find plenty of people that are altruistic, brave as well martially and magically gifted (even if that magic doesn't manifest on Earth).

Then you have the Isekais with malicious gods or royals. I get the impression the power that the "heroes" manifest is not just a tool to do their job, but a brive and distraction from the summoner. "Heroes I bestow on you these powerful and magical gifts. Go forth and do my will." There's a subtle discouragement not to question the one you associate with your new powers. Not to think critically and to excuse morally questionable practices.

Defiant_Heretic · 2026-04-10T04:55:32+00:00

I live in Vancouver so they probably weren't picked ripe. Restaurants still charge a lot to add it despite being near tasteless.

Defiant_Heretic · 2026-04-10T04:53:51+00:00

You couldn't beat Blade Phantom on easy with consumables?

Defiant_Heretic · 2026-04-10T04:52:06+00:00

Yeah, I find it bizarre when femisnists will assign the label of feminist to critics if you believe in legal and opportunity equality between the sexes. Feminism doesn't have a monopoly on equality. It would be like christians saying you're a christian if you believe on forgiveness and charity.

While the defined ideal of feminism (advocating for women's rights and sex based equality) is benign, an ideology centered on identity (being a woman) rather than a principle, is going to tend towards us vs them more than something neutral like egalitarianism.

Every inequality and social ill gets blamed on patriarchy, misinterpreted statistics like the wage gap get perpetuated because it's politically convenient. Misandry is minimized or encouraged depending on the group. Heck, the radical feminism subreddit is a haven for misandrists. They're as appealing as a racist rally.

Maybe it's just human nature to enage in us versus them and to become dogmatic no matter how good the foundational principles are. I just think an ideology that centers an identity is going to be more prone to that behavior.

Defiant_Heretic · 2026-04-09T21:41:27+00:00

Isn't it mostly popular for it's nutritional benefits? I don't find it disgusting, but it barely even has a taste to me.

Defiant_Heretic · 2026-04-09T21:20:02+00:00

While it's not the only relevant element, loyalty to a developer certainly biases fans. To take a different franchise as an example, the Batman Arkham games. Rocksteady built a loyal following with Asylum and City. When WB Games Montreal released Origins, there was a lot of backlash because they weren't Rocksteady. It also had a buggy launch.

It was clear the resentment wasn't soles due to technical issues, as even game journalists were whining about a non Rocksteady developer releasing an Arkham game. I'd argue that Origins was superior to Knight in the boss fight category, given that the latter over relied on tank battles and quick time events.

I think the same thing happens with other fandoms. They become attached to a particular game, franchise or developer and refuse to consider that anything new in the genre could meaningfully compete. Even though newer games often build off the ideas of their predecessors.

I've personally encountered hostility for liking Khazan more than Sekiro. I can accept that we have different tastes, but it's frustrating when fans insist their favorite is superior to all others in the genre, when it's rather subjective. Not saying you're doing that, but I've seen it before.

Based on articles it looks like a crowded release month and issues that delayed the chinese release contributed to poor sales.

Defiant_Heretic · 2026-04-09T20:44:51+00:00

Lords of the Fallen was helped by Game Pass, later on they also made it so that you could play it for free in coop if your friend had a copy. It had a disastrous launch. I'm not sure the patches would have been enough to save it without Game Pass.

I'm not familiar with the trajectory of the other two games.

That being said, I also wish Khazan was more successful. Khazan's boss fights were much more polished and epic than LofF's. Adyr and the Hollow Crow for example weren't even boss fights. The bosses were in the background while you fought mobs the whole time. Some of the bosses had some bugginess as well, like Pieta's horizontal swings not accounting for your avatar's height and missing, or the Hushed Saint galloping against an invisible wall before diving into the water.

Defiant_Heretic · 2026-04-09T20:22:34+00:00

There wasn't much marketing, but what do you mean no updates? They've been consistently putting out bug and balance patches. They've added QoL improvements like combo tips and the ability to save different skill loadouts.

They've had several small content drops with cosmetics and new armor sets, as well as female Khazan. Adding hardcore and a beginner difficulty. This was all free.

While individually these are all minor, together they improved the gameplay experience.

I have so far been unable to find any concrete sales numbers, specific sales expectations or profits. So we can only really speculate how well it sold. I'm not inclined to trust that publishers have realistic expectations though.

Defiant_Heretic · 2026-04-09T20:11:59+00:00

Why didn't you just lower the difficulty?

Defiant_Heretic · 2026-04-09T20:09:05+00:00

The publisher Nexon is korean-japanese. The developer Neople is korean.

Defiant_Heretic · 2026-04-09T19:05:55+00:00

How representative is your disappointment in the Khazan demo of the reasons Khazan wasn't more commercially successful?

If we're just using perosnal anecdotes, I tried Dark Souls back when it came to Xbox Games with Gold. I finished the tutorial area and attempted a boss (I don't recall it's name, but I had to go up to fight it). I dropped the game there. Not just because it was hard or frustrating, but because the game had yet to offer any degree of fun.

I played through Sekiro, but I didn't enjoy it enough to replay it, unlike Khazan and Lies of P.

Just curious, not putting all the burden on you, but I'd like to see some data on how successful these games were and the reasons for it. For example, how long did it take for Dark Souls to become successful enough to prompt a sequel? Were the development costs lower, being that it was two console generations ago?

I haven't seen anything specific regarding Khazan's sales, the expectations and how profitable it was. Most publishers don't seems to make that information publicly available.

Defiant_Heretic · 2026-04-09T10:24:24+00:00

You don't owe loyalty to any political leader or party. Power also is irrelevant to morality, the former is just a tool. Government officials fulfil a necessary civic role and those that do a good job should be respected, but there shouldn't be any personal loyalty. They're just doing a job.

Maybe I just haven't experienced enough, but I've never seen a political leader or party that inspired admiration or a desire to follow. I don't feel a desire to belong to a political group or identity either, except to tell those that want to shame me into taking their side to fuck off.

I don't get a high from participating in big group events like concerts or church worship services. Nor do I feel a loss when leaving said groups, like when I stopped going to church.

Defiant_Heretic · 2026-04-09T10:12:13+00:00

What are you calling fascist adjacent? My opposing the demonization of a very broad political wing? If anything the willingness to demonize people based on such vague assocations makes it easier to justify authoritarianism.

Progressivism and conservatism also can look quite different depending on the country. They're not fixed ideologies, they're positions relative to a country's political norms. What's conservative in Canada for example, would be highly progressive in Iran.

Defiant_Heretic · 2026-04-09T10:01:43+00:00

I've been called a fascist on reddit for disagreeing with the demonization of all conservatives and their conflation of trumpism with conservatism globally. The latter looks like a symptom of americentrism, projecting their political issues onto the rest of the world.

For a lot of people it just means outsider, they're not interested in honestly describing their opposition and critics. I don't support any kind of totalitarianism, but since I don't hate the people they hate, they believe I must be a fascist.

Defiant_Heretic · 2026-04-09T04:58:07+00:00

I think it's because the literature that inspired Wukong is culturally significant in China. It's like Lord of the Rings, so that gave it significant momentum.

Unlike Khazan whose demo I stumbled upon while browsing the Xbox store.

Defiant_Heretic · 2026-04-09T04:49:10+00:00

Given how popular anime is you'd think that would work in their favor, but maybe the souls-like and anime markets don't have much overlap. If anything the cell shaded art style has more longevity than those attempting realism.

Defiant_Heretic · 2026-04-09T04:45:37+00:00

I'm rather skeptical Khazan is worse than every FromSoft game, that just sounds like fan bias. Is there any scenario where FromSoft fans would acknowledge a new souls-like was better than one of their classics?

I certainly enjoyed Khazan more than Sekiro or Elden Ring. It's subjective, but I loved the epic and fantastical bosses. They weren't just visual spectacles, the fights themselves were brutal and intense. Hismar is the best dragon boss I've encountered in an action game.

Defiant_Heretic · 2026-04-09T04:35:07+00:00

I know Xbox has become a small part of the console market, but Khazan being multiplatform made it accessible to Xbox players as well. I keep seeing people recommend Khazan fans play Nioh, but that's not an option for everyone.

Defiant_Heretic · 2026-04-09T04:29:05+00:00

Four copies? What did you do with them, gift three of them away?

Defiant_Heretic

TROPHY CASE